Well, our great experiment didn’t go as well as we planned here in DC. My vision was a Peace Camp that would serve the needs of the campers as far as housing and food were concerned (that part worked) and the campers would then commit aggressive acts of civil resistance (that part didn’t) in the nation’s capital to shut down the violent military-corporate empire that we live in. In the opinion of members of Peace of the Action, living here in the US gives us special responsibilities for stopping it.

Anyway, we had hundreds of people come through camp over the week that we were allowed to keep it up. Dozens were college students that worked very hard while they were here and we were sorry to see them go back to their schools after break. The thing that we were hoping that would happen and never did—was that hundreds of people would stay and help us claim the camp as a permanent presence on the mall.

It’s true that the Park Police thwarted us and watched (and photographed) every move we made. However, if we had the numbers, we could have taken a more credible stand against the repression of our rights. When the Park Police came out and shut down camping on the first day—part of our name “Camp” was shut down, too.

We have wonderful organizers and I know I worked as much as is possible for one person, but we had to face facts that the will is just not in our fellow Americans to sacrifice a few creature comforts to create true and lasting change. It’s so much easier to vote for a smooth-talking snake oil salesman than to roll up ones sleeves and do the dirty, hard, yet gratifying work of empire change.

Even though we had some rough times in DC with the Police State and Camp OUT NOW is physically gone (for the time being), we are not giving up the spirit of shutting down this town for Peace.

Congress is once again taking up war supplemental funding. We can’t just make phone calls and write petitions—we must organize and be in their faces here and in our home districts demanding that not one more penny be spent on killing and maiming people.

By the way, not only was our demand to meet with President Obama not granted—three of our Camp OUT NOW volunteers (including myself) have been given stay away orders from the White House.

We tried to get into the Senate Appropriation’s Committee meeting today at the Capitol and we were followed and harassed the entire time and in the transparent age of Obama, the hearing was closed to us citizens, anyway. I was able to watch the rerun on C-SPAN 3 and I can tell you all one thing, these wars are planned to continue indefinitely. I am not okay with that.

To take advantage of the energy and enthusiasm of our young people, we are planning on returning in June to set up Camp and start our actions again.

So we will be keeping the spirit of the Camp alive until the students get out of school and, hopefully, we can make a go of it in the summer.

It’s really up to you—we have laid the foundation, now it’s your turn to be the builders.

Legality of US Drones Questioned

Missiles fired from US drones killed at least six people on Tuesday in a Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan, according to security officials.

It's the latest in a wave of attacks that have been used to target alleged enemy combatants but which frequently kill innocent civilians.

The latest strike came as a congressional committee in Washington DC heard evidence that legal issues surrounding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones have not been fully worked out. A lone protester was told by the chairman: "You're going to have an opportunity to sit down or be asked to leave - it's your choice."

There have been multiple civilian deaths as a result of the use of such drones and the committee heard there are concerns inside and outside the US government that drone attacks violate human rights standards and may constitute extra judicial execution. (AFP/HO/US AIR FORCE/File)

She sat down but soon left the room, allowing the door to slam behind her. The committee went on to hear that while the US has more than 7,000 UAVs and more on order, there is still no legal framework for the operation of this new technology. It's widely suspected the CIA operates a fleet of drones in Pakistan and Afghanistan which they use for targeting Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders.

There have been multiple civilian deaths as a result of the use of such drones and the committee heard there are concerns inside and outside the US government that drone attacks violate human rights standards and may constitute extra judicial execution.

Professor Kenneth Anderson from the Washington College of Law at American University told the hearing:

The long-term effect of that, given that there are not necessarily statutes of limitations, could be the problem of CIA officers or for that matter military officers or their lawyers, being called up in front of international tribunals or courts in Spain or some place that say you've engaged in extra judicial execution or simple murder and we're going to investigate and indict.

The problem, says Professor Anderson, is that administration lawyers haven't justified publically the use of drones, because the administration itself is reluctant to admit drone attacks in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Although nobody in the world doubts what's going on in Pakistan, it's kind of hard for the lawyer to step up and say 'by the way what we're doing is legal and here's why' and give a whole series of reasons and say, 'by the way, we're not admitting that we're actually doing any of this stuff'. It's very hard for the lawyer to get out in front of the client when the client itself has not actually formally stood up and said 'this is what we're doing'.

He says what makes it more difficult is that though the CIA has taken on drone attacks on the Afghan/Pakistan border, it's not doing it as a genuinely covert operation but as an operation that is denied by the administration.

Tuesday's gathering was the opening session of congress's investigation into the use of UAVs.

There will be other meetings like this on Capitol Hill and at them the debate into the use of such drones is likely to continue.

On the 7th commemoration of the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq, there was a rally and march in DC sponsored by the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition that was attended by about eight thousand people.

For quite awhile, I have been having problems with marches on Saturday, anyway. It seems like we march past empty buildings and shake our fists at them and promise that if those empty buildings don't change their ways, we will be back next year to do the same thing. The arrests are symbolic and don't shut down anything, except in the case of large arrests, where the police stations are busy for a few hours.

As far as I know, there were no large civil disobediences scheduled for last Saturday's rally, but some coffins were built on the sidewalk in front of the White House and four protesters decided to lie down near them and not move. Two of these protesters were good friends of mine: Elaine Brower of Military Families Speak Out and Matthis Chiroux of Iraq Vets Against the War. When I went over to check the action out, the four were begging the hundreds of others surrounding the protest to join them. The four were cordoned off with barriers and crime scene tape.

I began to plan a way to join Matthis and Elaine when I went to the front of the barrier and saw my dear friends, who have always been there for me, lying on the sidewalk by themselves. Just as I was figuring out how to get over the barriers, the section I was at collapsed onto the sidewalk and I took the opportunity to step over hoping that dozens, if not hundreds, would follow.

As soon as I crossed the barrier, I was slammed by a couple of cops, handcuffed and then actually run around the front of the White House while the cops tried to find a paddy wagon to stick me in-about 50 people were running with the cop and I, yelling: "Let her go, let her go." When the officer and I finally got to the paddy wagon, I was surprised to find that only two others had followed me. One other crossed the line to bring our detained numbers up to eight.

During my speech at the rally, I iterated the importance of "throwing our bodies upon the gears" of the machine, as well as marching-I got a huge cheer and during the march the participants chanted: "Whose streets, our streets." Eight detainees? Apparently the streets are only "ours" when we have a permit--god forbid we take them when the event is not permitted by the Police State!

Why, when the barrier was compromised, did more people not follow us to actually put their beliefs into higher relief than merely marching in a circle on Saturday? While we were being (tightly) handcuffed and loaded onto the hot paddy wagon, the crowd of on-lookers chanted, "This is what hypocrisy looks like."

I was, to say the least, very disheartened that hundreds of people didn't join us. Watching the video of my "crossing over," you can see a couple of people go over and then run back when the police come-but most of the people step back like the downed barrier is a livewire.

After a bumpy and sweaty ride, we eight arrive at the Park Police Station in Anacostia. As we were being processed, it started to become very clear that some of us were going to be detained until Monday. Ultimately, two of us were released and six of us were held. The two that were released were from DC and those of us held were out-of-towners. Immediately, we knew this explanation was total b.s. because I have been arrested in DC about 13 times now and I have always been from "out-of-town," and have never even been held overnight, let alone two nights.

Was it a coincidence that Camp OUT NOW had two major actions over the weekend to try and hold our campsite that I missed due to being jailed? I don't think so

Well, those two days were some of the most miserable days of my life! We were taken to a lock-up and Elaine and I were put into a freezing room and I had a t-shirt and flip-flops on, being unprepared to be arrested. For four women, our cell had one cement block bench that was about 7-8 feet long, so at least one of us always had to be on the stone-cold floor. Sleeping was fitful as it was very chilly all night-and very noisy!

Thirty-six hours, and eight bologna-like and cheese-substitute sandwiches later, we were taken to the court for our arraignment and stayed in that cell for seven hours and were finally released at 5pm after we all pled "not-guilty" and were scheduled for a trial on June 9th.

Basically, six of us stayed in jail for 50 hours for an offense that ends up to be the equivalent of a traffic ticket and we even had to go to traffic court to be arraigned. I am positive that everyone in DC who gets a traffic ticket and is from "out-of-town" does not have to stay over night. Then, I found out that the penalty for my charge "Crossing a police line" doesn't even carry any jail time. I spent two nights in jail on an offense with no jail time! The maximum penalty is $300! Boy, I will be even more pissed if I go through a trial and have to pay $300 dollars after I have already spent two nights in jail.

To make matters even worse, I was the only one who was forced to come back for a trial even though Elaine has more DC arrests than I do. The other seven have chosen to go to trial with me, but they were given the option to "pay and forfeit" which means to pay the fine and forfeit your right to a trial.

The icing on the entire crappy cake came when the eight of us were given a "stay away order" from the White House-I asked the Judge how could that be legal because we weren't convicted of anything, but the Judge assured me that conditions could be placed on our release. I also think this is very suspicious considering our Camp OUT NOW actions were focusing on the White House.

Many times during the 50 hour ordeal, Elaine and I were asked if we thought it was "worth it," to go through so much hardship for so little gain.

My answer is, first of all, if more people crossed the line with me, we wouldn't have had to stay 50 hours in jail and I was very upset that we were left to hang out to dry like that. Secondly, the war didn't end while we were suffering-but knowing how awful it is to spend so much time in jail and be treated like one is a serial killer and not a protester-I would do it again and again, as I have.

There are literally billions of people suffering all over this planet due to my nation's militarism and greed and I know many people would have traded places with me in a heartbeat and think the conditions were pretty damn good.

AND this never happened to me when Bush was president.

UPDATE: Three of us went to pick up our property this morning at the Park Police station and as we were being jacked around, an officer named Thomas (Badge number 628) told me that if I "stopped getting arrested" I wouldn't have to go through all of this.

I said: "when the wars stop, I will stop." He actually then told me: "The wars will stop when we nuke them and take their oil."

Solidarity Call Out for Camp Out Now in DC - Police force camp out on Monday 12 noonMood: don't askNow Playing: The Peace Of The Action Camp is being forced to move (no permit)Topic: PROTEST!

March 21 Report Back

I went to the Camp Out Now around 9PM on Sunday Night. The popo was there earlier, and informed the activist that the little tents they put up the day before had to be down …as I was arriving all smaller tents were in fact down, they told the group they would be back at 10 pm ..…They never did come back. They also said all of the Camp has to be removed by Noon on Monday.

The Camp Out Now is asking for solidarity at their peace camp on the Washington Monument lawn for the anticipated Monday 3.22. for the 12 noon arrival of the "ENFORCERS"

The camp will "not" be evaporating if and when the popo shows up. Some will risk arrest. some will not. The group is not going to be silenced. If forced to move, a predetermined spot is already in the mix. When forced and arrested out of that new spot another predetermined spot will be used.

As I said Peace Of The Action is not going to leave until the Occupation is called off. Cindy Sheehan (who is still in jail) has requested a conversation with the President. He has ignored her, as he has done with the whole peace Community.

I have posted a dozen tweets from Sunday night on DC My Opinion Page

Help spread the word about Camp Out Now and the White Hose trying to shut it down Help Spread the news about coming down to show solidarity at 12oclock Monday (or anytime)Help Peace Of The Action by telling everyone that activists are here in Washington DC on the White House Lawns, demanding peace and holding their ground for peace and justice.

USA is in an aggressive War.... Peace of The Action is in an aggressive Peace mission Tell everyone to write the President and Congress.... or come to Washington to be a cog in the wheel of the murder machine.Do what you can in solidarity against the killing machine

Vietnam--A Beautiful Country and Beautiful PeopleMood: specialNow Playing: Written by: Mike HastieTopic: WAR

Vietnam--A Beautiful Country and Beautiful People

Written by: Mike Hastie

We Americans who served in Vietnam,never knew anything about Vietnam's history,nor anything about the Vietnamese people.The American people back home knew even less.Far less.By the time the United States Government left Vietnam,we had turned an ancient culture into an environmental wasteland.We had contaminated the country with mega death.Our government was a non-stop killing machine.Over three million people killed, and millions wounded.Southeast Asia is the most bombed area in the world.So Mike, why do you keep bringing this horrible history up?You seem very repetitious in your writing.You're like a parrot with the same bad news.Jesus Christ, give it a break for awhile.Enough with the shame.I'm sure most of the people who are currentlyreading this stuff already know it.

You're preaching to the choir.

I finally realized,it is not to my peer group who I am writing to.

It is really to my eight-year-old granddaughter'sgeneration who I am writing to.I have to leave a trace of truth for her.She does not realize that Vietnam is happeningall over again in the Middle East.This is happening in her lifetime.The survivor's message is like a loud mantra.Over and over and over again.It's like being trapped under a collapsed buildingafter an earthquake.You keep crying out,until they find you.You have to tell them that the building did notcollapse because of the earthquake.It collapsed because there was never a foundationto support the structure against deceit.It was built on a foundation of lies.They do not realize that they are not preparedto face their future.They do not realize that the U.S. economy is builtover the bodies of millions of people.The survivor is obsessed with bearing witness.The truth has to be told to an audience,even if most believe he is crazy.The survivor is committed until he takes his last breath.His worst torment is not to be able to speak.When he finally steps up on the witness stand,he often speaks with the artless skill of a severelyabused child who has just blurted out some blatantfact of honesty.The survivor's testimony can be so compelling,that it reveals the ultimate evidence--thatLying Is The Most Powerful Weapon In War.Vietnam--A beautiful country, and beautiful people.A people the Americans never knew.Like the teenage girl in this picture.That's why we killed her.

House Democrats are suddenly in a rush to ban corporate earmarks, those just-for-our-donors legislative favors that benefit everybody but the taxpayers. It is the right thing to do, but it is also a classic case of closing the barn door just in time for Election Day.

Meanwhile, holier-than-thou Republicans are trying to trump with a call for a much-too-sweeping ban on all earmarks, even those helping nonprofit endeavors.

The quid-pro-quo awarding of government contracts — and the scandals that come along with it — has been especially rampant in recent Congresses. Most notoriously there was the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal that bedeviled Republicans right into minority status.

Democrats should have been feeling endangered ever since the Justice Department began investigating the coziness between defense contractors and high-ranking members of the Appropriations Committee. But their enthusiasm only blossomed after the ethics committee gave all seven members involved a blanket exoneration.

The appropriators — five Democrats and two Republicans — steered more than $245 million in earmarks through a defense lobbying firm now under criminal investigation. The lawmakers received more than $840,000 in political donations from the firm’s corporate clients.

The House ban was announced just days after the committee blithely pronounced the coincidence of generous defense contracts and political contributions as just that — a mere coincidence that does not “support a claim that a member’s actions are being influenced by campaign contributions.” The committee, notably, deep-sixed the recommendation from its new advisory panel, the Office of Congressional Ethics, to open a more thorough inquiry into two of the seven: Representatives Peter Visclosky, a Democrat of Indiana, and Todd Tiahrt, a Republican of Kansas.

Whether this embarrassment can be trumped by a last-minute earmark ban is doubtful. Senate Democrats instantly announced opposition to the House ban. That means, in final conference bills, corporate donor earmarks can be salvaged by grateful senators.

Rat Bastards - DC Protest is casuing the rats to scurryMood: loudNow Playing: The Fucken War Protest is Coming To DC - Like it or not !!!Topic: PROTEST!

WASHINGTON DC PROTEST

IS CAUSING - THE FASCHIST RAT BASTARDS

TO TO RISE UP OUT OF THEIR RAT HOLES

============================================

The following update was sent to Joe Anybody by email

============================================

To ___________

March 10, 2010

I am writing to let you know about a serious assault on free speech rightsthat we believe is intended to hamper and obstruct the mobilization for theMarch 20 anti-war demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

On Sunday night, March 6, volunteers in Los Angeles were arrested forallegedly putting up three posters announcing the March 20th action. Theywere charged with felony vandalism and kept in jail on a $20,000 bail foreach of them. Thanks to volunteers coming together, we were able to raisebail money and they are now out of jail.

The heavy felony charge and huge $20,000 bail in Los Angeles comes shortlyafter a nearly identical situation in San Francisco. Two ANSWER organizerswere arrested on felony vandalism charges for allegedly putting up apolitical poster and also each given a $20,000 bail.

In Washington, D.C., the ANSWER Coalition has been hit with another wave offines for March 20th political posters. These thousands of dollars of newfines are on top of an unprecedented $70,000 fines from the two most recentmobilizations. We are challenging the old and new fines. The postersconformed to lawful regulations?as they always have. No organization,corporate entity or politician has ever been hit with these massive fines.

Just today, we received another $1,300 fines on top of earlier fines.

Anti-war organizations and volunteers are also being hit with heavy fines inChicago, New York City and elsewhere.

The stakes here are high.

The massive fines and felony arrests with extraordinarily high bail comejust before what we believe will be the largest outpouring to date againstthe war in Afghanistan.

The large corporations, including the biggest war contractors and banks,have billions of dollars to advertise their message of war and profit.Grassroots organizations have always relied on leaflets and posters to buildprogressive movements for change.

The government and national and local law enforcement agencies are nowengaged in a nationally coordinated effort to stamp out the exercise ofclassic grassroots organizing.

We will never surrender to this campaign that aims to intimidate andbankrupt the progressive movement.

We are fighting back. Most importantly, we are continuing to mobilize.

We ask you to show your support by coming to the March 20 demonstrations andby bringing your friends, families, co-workers and fellow students. We willnot be silenced.

We want to thank the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF), the publicinterest legal organization, which has filed a lawsuit on behalf of theANSWER Coalition and Muslim American Society Freedom that challenges theconstitutionality of the D.C. postering regulations. Their tireless pro bonolegal effort has resulted in an important victory at the U.S. Court ofAppeals, which allows the lawsuit to proceed. The government had tried tostop us from even having our day in court. In California, constitutionalrights attorney Carol Sobel has waged a major legal battle against thegovernment?s efforts to target free speech postering activities.

In order to win this fight, we have to both defend our rights in the courtsand to show solidarity with activists who are facing repression. And eachand every one of us can do our part to help support the mobilization of thepeople against war and occupation. Basic rights were never a gift frompoliticians. Important change, including basic free speech rights were theresult of the struggle by generation after generation.

Thank you for your support. And please, take action now. Together, we canmake the difference.

All out March 20!

[image: Brian Becker signature]

*Brian Becker*National Coordinator, ANSWER Coalition

*Please make an urgently needed donation!*

Please make your plans to come to Washington, D.C., now. If you cannot come,please make an urgently needed donation that can help others attend.

I never thought I would join the Army ...Mood: not sureNow Playing: By Army Spc. Marc HallTopic: WAR
By Army Spc. Marc HallFebruary 20, 1010

*"I was made to train without a weapon due to the song and my ongoingcounseling. However, during that time...I felt a surprising sense of peacefor the first time."*

I never thought that I would join the Army only to one day be incarceratedby the Army. I have never been to jail in my life, until now. The Army ischarging me with Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice,?communicating threats? towards my chain of command. Yet I was onlycommunicating how I felt about what I have experienced in the Army and how Ifelt about the Army?s ?Stop-loss? policy. That policy meant that I could notleave the Army when I was supposed to, and after I had already served inIraq for 14 months.

I guess this all started with a hard core ?rap? song I made about the Army?svery unpopular ?Stop-loss? policy back in July 2009. Like any ?rap? or rocksong, I was expressing my freedom of expression under the US Constitution.Being that the Army?s ?Stop-loss? policy was a Pentagon decision from what Ihad heard on the news, I decided to send a copy of my song directly to thePentagon.

I don?t know if anyone at the Pentagon listened to my song, but somebody inWashington DC mailed the package back to my chain of command. My FirstSergeant called me into his office to discuss it. I explained that the rapwas a freedom of expression thing. It was not a physical threat, nor anykind of threat whatsoever. I explained that it was just hip hop. He told methat he kind of liked the song, that it sounded good.

1st Sgt Chrysler and Capt Cross, our company commander at B-CO 2-7 IN [BravoCompany, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment] at that time, justrecommended me for mental counseling and evaluation. I attended mentalcounseling at the behavioral health clinic on Ft. Stewart from late July2009 through November 2009. I had about four visits to the clinic, but Icouldn?t attend all the appointments because we were always training in thefield. In the end this counseling still left me feeling the same way aboutArmy life, ?stop-loss? and war in general.

I spoke to our chaplain and told him my feelings, including all of thedomestic things I had gone through with my estranged spouse and mythree-year-old daughter over the last four years. I let him hear the?Stop-loss? song and I explained that he shouldn?t take anything in the songpersonally. He said he liked the song but wished it was not ?gangster?.

[image: marc hall]Later, when we trained in the field in Georgia and at theNational Training Center (NTC) in California, I was made to train without aweapon due to the song and my ongoing counseling. However, during that timeof training without a weapon I felt a surprising sense of peace for thefirst time.

At NTC, in October 2009, I spoke again to our chaplain after attendingservices one night. I explained to him how I still felt hurt by the Armypolicies. He replied that my chain of command had already ?forgiven? meabout the song. But that didn?t really help me with what I was going throughand trying to deal with.

After we came back from NTC, in November 2009, I got to go on leave. Ithought maybe two weeks leave would do me some good. But during my leave,from November 21 to December 7, a deep depression sunk into me. I justwanted to be alone. I did not want to be around people. I stayed at homealone. My friends and family were worried that I had turned my phone off. Idid not feel like talking to people. I barely made it to my mother?s housefor Thanksgiving. I thought about all the depressing things that brought meto this state of mind. I thought about how it all pertained to war. Ithought about the times I spoke to the chaplain at basic training at Ft.Knox, and the legal assistant at Ft. Stewart, about my divorce and thesafety of my daughter and my rights as a father, and how neither of themcould help me. I thought about ?Stop-loss? more and more. I started drinkinghard every day to help me forget the hurt and pain I was feeling. I thoughtabout how war brought me to this war, and the war I would have to face toremove myself from the presence of war in order to keep my sanity.

When I returned to Ft. Stewart, on December 7, 2009, I really felt from thatpoint on that I did not belong there. I realized that I was not fit for waranymore. I was burnt out and war was the cause of it. I was feeling a littleunstable and shaky and I didn?t know what to do about it. The very thoughtof holding and being around a loaded weapon again gave me the chills. I didnot know who my enemies were anymore.

About a week later I spoke to my commanding officer, Captain Wynn of F-COBSB, about how I am still feeling. I explained to him that I felt a littleunstable, angry and depressed about war and how unfit I was for war. I saidI did not want to get anybody hurt in this war?being that my battle buddiesmight have to depend on me. I did not want to be a misfortune to anybody. Iexplained that I had made an official I.G. complaint (with the ArmyInvestigator General) about the treatment I felt I had not received from mylast visit to behavioral health, and the unfair treatment and words thatcame from my direct NCOs. Behavioral health just rushed me out the door andleft all decisions up to my chain of command to decide if I was fit or not.

I know my behavior health treatments were pushed aside so that 2-7 IN couldhave more bodies for this deployment. I believe that this was not fair tome, and it?s not fair to my battle buddies to put a troubled solder on thebattlefield knowing that I still have issues.

Capt. Wynn got me in to speak to the Lt. Colonel about my mental state. Itried to explain about the indirect way I might hurt other soldiers inuniform due to how I was burnt out. But he took it as a threat, basicallyread me my rights, and put me in the Liberty County Jail in Hinesville,Georgia.

I realize now how going to war can bring unwanted results. Now I sit in jailat the hands and mercy of our US Government vs. little old Marc A. Hall on acharge that was not a threat before, but all of a sudden became a threatnow. I communicated an extended need for mental evaluation?not a threat.

The negative sworn statements used to jail me are false. One of the Soldierswho wrote a negative statement told me that same day that he did so becausehe thought it was a way to ?help me out? as he knew what I was goingthrough. Another Soldier who wrote a statement said that I was ?his hero?because I stood up for what I believed. These negative statements were alsothe results of jokes that my battle buddies said about me?and I had playedalong with them at the time when the jokes were presented?while passing longboring hours at the NTC in California. I do appreciate the ?help? guys, butthe Army is now saying that talk were real threats, and now they have me inconfinement awaiting court martial.

I have to say that I have never been so humiliated in my entire life. I?m injail with and next to people who have committed real crimes, includingmurder. And I?m in here for trying to get real treatment, voicing myfeelings, and for asserting freedom of expression through my art.